Garlic Festival - 17th and 18th August 2024

A weekend show over two days used to fill me with dread. Would I be too tired and not able to finish it? Not anymore, we do get tired but we enjoy it. First of all, Bob and I have got ‘setting up the tables’ down to a fine art.

We set up the roll up posters of the books first and then tackle the tables. The large white table cloth first then I add what I call the fuzzy sheets. I have put Velcro on the material where it hits the edge of the table. To this I stick the illustrations from the book which have already got the other half of the Velcro stuck and stapled to them. We apply the same procedure to the small table and I apply the pictures. The only difficulty I have is which ones should I choose. I must cover all three books, but be eye catching.

Bob took this picture on Sunday, the table looks laden, but we were woefully short of stock. We thought we would run out of ‘A Red Sky’ first and next would be ‘There will be Blue Skies,’ but we were wrong. On the Saturday nobody bought or least of all looked at, ‘Isle of Memories.’ We brought six to the show, and sold five.

We met some lovely people, that is the best part of doing the shows. They often have lovely tales of WW2. Bob recounted the true story of the German Pilot who crash landed near the Military Road on the Isle of Wight. He had been a kitchen assistant at the Blacksmiths Arms, he returned to Germany when he was conscripted in 1939 but he loved the island. Whether he really crash landed or he crash landed it himself is not known, but he was found thumbing a lift along the Military Road. From there he was taken to a farm house and given some refreshment before the authorities were called. I have heard that story many times and others of a similar nature, so I needed to add that to my book. I wanted to convey in the book that these pilots on the whole were just lads caught up in the chaos of war, obeying orders. Hence, I created Pieter a German pilot who ended up on Little Bridge Beach. I added the children’s initial fear and Reggie’s reaction of hatred towards the Germans which was spread by the media and people. Chapters 17 & 18 are two of my favourites.

We have one more show to do this Summer and that is at Wolverton Manor on the 31st August and 1st September. We have ordered more books and hope that will be enough. I’m not sure where we will be but do seek us out, say hello and tell me about your favourite chapters.